The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Commercial storage bins for materials, such as grain may include a roof and a wall structure formed from a number of corrugated sheets and vertical column members. The storage bin structure can be constructed on concrete foundations that can also provide a floor for the storage bin. Integrated into the foundation may be various trenches for grain aeration. The grain can be supported above these aeration trenches by apertures in the floor. In addition, various sumps or holes can be formed through the floor that lead to a central tunnel for removing grain through a discharge opening. The sumps or holes through the floor can be formed along a central axis above the central tunnel. Each sump can have a gate or mechanism to provide an open or closed position for the material to discharge into the central tunnel. In the central tunnel, conveyors, augers or other material moving mechanisms can move material toward the discharge opening to control the flow of material out of the storage bin.
Grain storage and handling has taken on new dynamics as the grain bins increase capacities. In this regard, the grain bins have become taller and larger in diameter and the amount of grain left within the bin after emptying through conventional gravity unloading methods has become a challenge to economically and efficiently handle. It can be desirable to satisfactorily empty the bin while reducing or eliminating the need for supplemental sweeping in addition to gravity unloading. The different free-flowing material or grain commodities stored in these bins has become a more valuable product and the cost to load and unload the stored product has a significant impact on efficiency of operations.